Life is short. It does not make any sense to let a day slip past without enjoying it. Even the worst day has its value, because it eventually comes to an end and leaves you with a sense of relief that tomorrow certainly has to be an improvement.

Most days, if we look closely at them, are pretty good. Sure, they have their petty annoyances - bad weather, malfunctioning appliances, inexplicably difficult children or spouses or bosses (or any other adversaries) - but by and large they're pretty good for most of us.

Carpe diem - Seize the day, What a beautiful expression.

As I said earlier, life is short. And that's all the more reason for all of us to carpe the diem. There are a lot of interesting things and people around, if we care to look. Every day remember what Saint Thyagaraja, the famous Carnatic music composer wrote about his life.

"Enaati Nomu phalamo?
Edaana balamo?"
(What penance and vows have brought me this blessing? To which generous alms given by me do I owe this fortune?)

I enjoy my day with a number of Cs - Cryptic crossword, Carnatic music, Company of loved ones, Computers, Communication, Communion with God, Curd rice and so on. Today I focus on the last C - curd rice.

The first visit to our village (Soolankurichi in what was then South Arcot District) that I remember was when I was four year old. There would be at least three families doing their annual pilgrimage and since the earlier generations did not follow family planning, there were at least 10 boys and girls.

My grandmother would seat herself in the middle of the hall, a large wooden vessel, filled with cold salty curd rice, garnished with coriander, curry leaves, green chillies, mustard seeds, small pieces of mangoes with another ceramic jar containing Maavadu (small mango) pickles placed in front of her. The children would form two semi-circles before her, ten young right hands stretched out in anticipation, palms curved and then grandma would place a perfect little ball of curd rice on each palm in turn, on top of which she would daintily balance a small maavadu (young mango). That was the time I fell in love with curd rice.

I had always liked R K Narayan but my admiration for him went up substantially when I read T S Satyan quoting Narayan, "the sound of curds falling on a heap of rice is the loveliest sound in the world." How poetic and how true!

Kannadasan, the great Tamil lyricist has, in the film Pava Mannippu, described the heroine with the lines, காலங்களில் அவள் வசந்தம் - Kalangalil aval vasantham (She is the spring among seasons). I would rather say, 'சாதங்களில் அவள் தயிர் சாதம் - Sadhangalil aval thayir sadham' (She is curd rice among food). Shah Jahan perhaps never had curd rice with pickle or he would have said his famous lines 'Agar Firdous Bar Roi Zamanast Tho Haminasto, Haminasto, Haminasto' - if there is a heaven on earth, then it is here, it is here, it is here' about the vessel containing curd rice and not about Kashmir.

My wife is calling me for dinner which consists of two chapathis, subji and most important of all, curd rice. So I’m off for today.

It does not matter whether you enjoyed reading this piece. What is important is that you enjoy every day of your life, preferably with curd rice.

Till we Carpe the Diem again.